Flora Alekseyeva is among MTV OGs suiting up for another shot at glory when they compete in The Challenge: All Stars 4.
The spinoff of MTV’s competition series brings back former stars from The Real World, Road Rules, Fresh Meat, and even Are You The One? to battle for cash prizes.
In past seasons, viewers have seen returning favorites such as Mark Long, Derrick Kosinski, Trishelle Cannatella, and Ruthie Alcaide.
Now, they’ll see one of the most star-studded casts yet, including familiar faces: Cara Maria Sorbello, Laurel Stucky, Kam Williams, Tony Raines, and Leroy Garrett.
However, some other competitors, such as Flora Alekseyeva, have been off the grid regarding reality television.
The former Real World star recently shared why she chose to come back for the show after so many years away from it.
Flora shares her reason for returning to All Stars 4
For Flora, 52, it’s been 22 years since she’s appeared in any form of The Challenge. Following her one season on MTV’s competition show, she disappeared from reality TV due to having no interest in it beyond her appearances in two shows.
“I was off the grid. Nobody could find me. Not that I was hiding. It was just that I didn’t care for any of this. I was too busy doing my own stuff,” she shared with E! News.
Fast-forward to 2024, and she’ll be among competitors battling it out on All Stars 4 with Challenge champions like Cara Maria, Laurel, and Brad Fiorenza. So, what made Flora decide to get involved again?
She revealed she’d done her “business duty” with her construction company, RGMH, and also performed her “mommy duty” now that her daughter is 18 and headed to college. According to Flora, she was inspired to appear on All Stars 4 for her daughter.
“I figured, you know what, who’s going to have the coolest mom in the world when she goes to college? She’s going to be the coolest kid. At my age, why not give it a whirl?” she told the publication.
“I see all these competitors on other shows and they’re just insane,” she said, adding, “They’re super athletic. I’m like, I’m going to just try it.”
“I’ll still be the coolest mom. My daughter is going to be super proud. So that was my motivation. Why not? What the heck?”
While she admitted her daughter joked with her that she’d get her a** kicked by the competition, Flora said her goal was “to show no matter how old I am, how unfit I may be, it’s still mind over matter. Just push through.”
Flora was familiar with just one castmate at All Stars 4
As mentioned, Flora appeared in just MTV’s The Real World: Miami and the Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons in 2002.
Among those on her Challenge season was Road Rules star Adam Larson, whom Flora confessed was the person she gravitated to at the start of the spinoff show.
“I really didn’t know anybody except Adam,” she said, adding, “[He] was probably the one that I spoke to the most in the first initial day. And I felt comfortable because anyone would feel super comfortable with him.”
Adam has more experience in The Challenge, having competed in three seasons. According to his Challenge Wiki page, he won The Gauntlet season and claimed approximately $26,555 in prize money. The prize values are much higher now for the show’s winners.
Viewers last saw Adam, now 45, on The Gauntlet 2 in 2006. He shared with E! News that Flora was his “favorite partner” during his return for the All Stars spinoff.
She mentioned that returning for All Stars 4 also allowed her to reunite with Adam and meet some new friends.
“I got an opportunity to revisit people that I met before, like Adam. And I got to meet amazing, amazing people who I still consider my friends and actually hang out with after the fact,” she shared.
The Challenge: All Stars 4 premieres Wednesday, April 10 on Paramount+.